6 minute read
PLANT OF THE MONTH
Azalea, Weston’s ‘Millenium’
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JIM FUNAI, PhD
Cuyahoga Community College SHELLEY FUNAI, LIC
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
WESTON HYBRID AZALEAS
Azaleas are a group of plants which require no plant nerdery to know and love. Even those who are significantly detached from the outdoors can appreciate their beauty in full bloom. Clients obviously love them, and by our account, plenty of contractors have been obligated to install them. The trouble is, “Azalea” is a broad sweeping term that describes a ton of options, some wonderful, and some doomed to a quick death for being the wrong plant in the wrong place. This month’s Hendricks Experience has Bill leading us to a goldmine of Azaleas for our landscapes.
Before we dive into the beauty and utility of the Weston Hybrids, let’s talk a bit more hi-level. First, Azalea is a common name only. These plants all fall under the genus Rhododendron. A general rule of thumb when splitting Rhododendron from Azalea is to look at the stamens in the flowers. If there are five stamens, you have an Azalea. If there are 10, or more, you have a Rhododendron. Within the genus, we divide further in to two major groups – Lepidote and Elepidote (from Greek, lepidōtos, meaning scaly). Lepidote Rhododendrons have small scales on the underside of leaves, which are typically much smaller, while elepidote have no scales on much larger leaves. The latter are likely what you think of when you hear the word Rhododendron. A great example of the scales can be found on Rhododendron ‘P.J.M.,’ which is a hybrid between an Asian species (R. dauricum) and a native (R. minus). The native is a Lepidote Rhododendron species and the trait of scales shows on the ‘P.J.M.’ offspring.
The story of the ‘P.J.M.’ Rhododendron is one of a family of plant breeders – from Hopkinton, Massachusetts – who run Weston Nursery. In the 1930s and 40s, Peter J. Mezitt (P.J.M.) and his son, Ed Mezitt, played around with hybridizing native azaleas in order to create better performing plants. One such cross – as mentioned above – resulted in the wildly successful P.J.M. in 1939.
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Azalea, Weston’s ‘Lemon Drop’ Azalea, Weston’s ‘Pink & Sweet’ Azalea, Weston’s ‘Innocense’
Fast forward to the present, Ed’s sons continue these experiments in hybridizing to create landscape-worthy Azaleas which are cold hardy in zone 5, have good compact habits, superior and clean foliage, improved insect and disease resistance, and extend the bloom season on both ends. We are incredibly fortunate to benefit from their tireless work in developing these plants and should be giving them heavy consideration when a client mentions that they love azaleas. Most of the Azaleas from Weston Nursery have at least one native species in the hybridization process, and all benefit from “hybrid vigor” (best of both parents).
In general, Weston Hybrids like sun, but will tolerate some shade. Just don’t go deep shade on them. Soil is crucial. Make sure it is well drained – do not stick them in heavy clay – and should be on the acidic side. Rhododendron is from the Ericaceae family (heaths, heathers, blueberries, cranberry) which is a family that needs acidic soils with high humus levels.
We wondered, with all the hybrid azaleas out there, why does Bill focus on the Weston series? Bill explained, “Weston hybrid azaleas have more to offer than flowers and fragrance. I appreciate them for their clean foliage; which isn’t ravaged by mildew like other hybrid deciduous Azaleas.” One of the of the Mezitt’s main goals was this clean foliage. Bill also made a great point about fall color. “The clean foliage of summer changes to colorful shades of pink, red, orange and burgundy in fall, and varies from cultivar to cultivar.”
Most of these hybrids will bloom in June to July, creating a great bridge from the spring to late summer show of most Hydrangeas on the market.
Bill pointed out that one parent for some of the Weston hybrids is the native swamp Azalea (R. viscosum). The common name gives away this plant’s great advantage, in that it grows in wet soils! It also does just fine in heavier shade, which is why the Mezitt family used it as a parent. R. viscosum is a great plant choice when it comes to its brightwhite, summer blooms, which Bill described as, “sweet honeysuckle fragrance.” We absolutely love this native, and find that pollinators love it even more. (See more options on opposing page.)
Bill pointed out that with some good planning, you can build a bloom time from mid-May to early August in a bright shade garden that supports pollinators the entire time. This begs us to ask, “Why are we all not using these fantastic plants more in our landscape designs?” The two of us are headed out to purchase all of these right now.
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WESTIN HYBRIDS WITH R. VISCOSUM AS A PARENT:
Pink Mist - 5’- 8’, fragrant, white with a tinge of pink, late June into July. Summer Eyelet - 5’x 5’, compact, spicy clove scent, contrasting red stamens. Pink & Sweet - 5’- 8’, spicy scent, pink flower/yellow throat, mid - late June.
OTHER WESTON HYBRIDS:
Millenium - 3’- 4’, dusty red flowers with pale orange highlight, early June. Popsicle - 4’- 6’, fragrant, deep pink with orange eyes, upright, mid-June. Parade - 5’, heavy sweet scent, pink with light yellow flare, mid-June. Lollipop - 6’, heavy scent, pink blooms, mid - late June. Innocence - 5’-8’, sweet scent, white flowers, late June - early July. Lemon Drop - 4’, lemon scent, peach in bud/pale yellow in bloom, mid-July. Pennsylvania - 5’-6’, sweet fragrance, pink flowers with orange eyes, late July - early August.
Jim Funai, PhD is full-time faculty at Cuyahoga Community College, a NALP accredited associate of applied science in hoticulture degree program. He has a PhD in Landscape Engineering and Forestry and is a Licensed Arborist. Shelley Funai is Grounds Manager at Stan Hywett Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio, which offers a historic estate designed by Warren H. Manning and a beautiful manor house museum. She is Landscape Industry Certified in Ornamental Plant Care.
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